Page 92 of Fangirl

Will takes one look and grins. “How’d you know?” he says, eyes gleaming with mischief. “Smut’s the foundation of my entire personality.”

“I have nothing to say to you. Or to him.” I jab the button on the coffee maker a little harder than necessary.

Will shrugs. “Fine. Don’t talk, then. Just… listen. Because here’s the thing: I think maybe, just maybe, my idiot best friend found his unicorn. And not all unicorns are destined to die, you know?”

That word again. I blink, frowning. “Unicorn? Are you… high?”

He sighs dramatically and plucks the mug from my hand. “God, I wish.”

“Talk,” I mutter, grabbing my own coffee and reaching for the biscuit tin like I’m going to need reinforcements.

Will takes a long, noisy sip before leaning back against the counter with a self-satisfied grin. “Right. So, I have this theory. It’s calledthe unicorn theory. Developed over years of surviving Hollywood, thank you very much.”

“Oh, I’m sure it’s extremely scientific,” I deadpan.

He ignores the sarcasm completely, savoring another sip. “The unicorn is the one normal person—the rare,impossible human—meant to be with a specific celebrity. Not for the fame, not for the money. Just… because they fit. Perfectly.”

I stare at him from across the table, dead silent. Not because I believe him, but because I don’t know what the hell to say.

Will smirks. “You’re an accountant, right? You can follow the math.”

I narrow my eyes. “God help me, I’m listening.”

“So, for argument’s sake—out of a thousand women, nine hundred want Jake.” He grins. “Out of those, maybetwo hundredhe’s actually attracted to. Of that two hundred? One-fifty want him for the fame. Thirty for his abs. Nineteen? For both.”

He leans forward, resting his elbows on the table. “And then there’s the one. The unicorn. The one who wants him… not because of all that. Despite all that. And here’s the kicker—he thinks it’s you.”

Will shrugs, and his expression softens. “And for what it’s worth? I’m starting to think so too.”

I stare at him. “That is, without a doubt, the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”

He groans, dramatically leaning back. “Yeah, well, you’re not the first to say it.”

My throat tightens as the anger creeps back in. “He lied to me.”

Will shakes his head. “No. He didn’t. Trust me. That pathetic nerd you talked to? That was him. No one would choose to look and sound like that unless it was real.”

The words hit harder than I want to admit. Still, I glare. “I want to hurt you right now.”

He grins. “You want to kick me in the balls, don’t you?”

I blink, caught off guard. “Maybe.”

“Yeah.” He smirks. “I get that look a lot.”

I shove a hand through my hair, exhaustion dragging at my limbs. “I don’t want any of this. This world… it’s toxic.”

Will’s grin fades, and he nods. “Yeah. It is… if you let it be.”

Tears burn my eyes, but I blink them back. “Peoplehateme.”

He laughs. “No, sweetheart. They’re jealous. You got Jake fucking Hollander down on his knees. You think that’s hate? That’s envy dressed up as snark.”

I flush—mortified, furious, and aching—too many emotions crashing at once until I feel like I’m drowning.

Will softens, reading it all on my face. “You’re only seeing the negative. It’s human nature. Negativity screams the loudest online, and it gets the most reactions. But trust me, if you actually know where to look… there’s more. Way more.”

Before I can argue, he grabs his phone, typing quickly. He comes around the table and sets it down in front of me. “Look. Yeah, first three comments? Trash. Loud. But scroll. Go to page two. Now read that.”